The Wicker Man (1973)

Most of the best films that I've seen are the ones that consciously defy genre categorization. Perhaps none do this more than The Wicker Man. By the conflagrating monolith on the cover, you can bet that it's striving for enigmatic creepiness and you'd be right.
Horror? Kind of, but the movie delivers much more than simple thrills. Called to a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, straightlaced Sergeant Howie (Ed Woodward) stumbles across a present day pagan society unabashedly practicing their religion free from the constraining properties of 'civilized' society.

Fantastic applications of foreshadowing lead the viewer to the theme of human sacrifice and the good detective races to find and save the young girl who he believes is to be slain as an offering.

Christopher Lee, whose presence elevates the unnerving factor of any film, plays Lord Summerville, the patriarchal head of the secluded society. He plays a calm, almost mocking counterpoint to the frantic Sergeant. Extra points for the sweet plaid blazer.

So, what exactly makes this film so special? First, the plot is carefully and acurately researched. The traditions of pagan sacrifice are woven with care into The Wicker Man and as the reality of the situation dawns on Sergeant Howie, those of us in the audience with no previous knowledge of the true methods of pagan sacrifice are given a jarring awakening.

Also raising the film past the easy label of horror are its erotic and musical elements. Remember, this is a pagan society and pagan rituals are not simply about blood sacrifices. Its roots extend to fertility rites and physical expression. The first major musical number, Willow's Song, is a captivating, seductive piece and its placement is key. By the time it rolls around in the film, we have settled into expecting a creative, but standard '70's horror flick. Suddenly we find ourselves drawn into an intensely erotic dance of seduction by Willow (Britt Ekland), who tests the Sergeant's willpower. The song itself is a sweetly rendered folk song with thinly veiled euphimistic lyrics. The sheen of cold sweat that breaks out over Howie's body is a testament to her allure but he manages to resist her siren's call.

SPOILER: The film's coup de gras, it's twist ending, is delivered with the horrific subtlety of a person falling to their doom from an immeasurable height. Willow's 'test' of Howie was purposeful. Had he given in and gone to her, he would not be the one confined in the burning belly of the wicker man at the film's end. However, his purity and good intentions are his ironic undoing as they make him an ideal sacrifice. After 'rescuing' the girl, he suffers the slow realization that it was he all along who is to be the actual offering. Surrounded by the townsfolk, he is tenderly stripped, robed, and marked for sacrifice. He appeals to them with Christian scripture and receives the bitter consolation from Lord Summerville that he will thus die a martyr. For me, the most harrowing moment of the film is when he is led to the hilltop where he is to keep his "appointment with the wicker man." As the towering structure emerges over the horizon Woodward shouts "Oh, God! Oh, Jesus Christ!" with authentic horror inflected in his voice and suddeny we are there. The terror is real...it is not a cheap thrill or simulacra. It's that moment when our car spins out of control toward the bridge abutment or our foot slips from a crumbling ledge.

Throughout the film, we have a hard time developing empathy toward the stuffy Sergeant but at this moment it doesn't matter. His chilling bleats of terror pull us to him.

The final shot of the film, the sun setting as the wicker man's head collapses in flames provides discomforting closure and leaves us to pick our jaw from the floor ourselves.

The Wicker Man is a film that may prove ageless. Thus, the disgraceful 2006 remake starring Nicholas Cage. The only hole in the plot that I could come up with is the fact that in ancient pagan societies, the sacrifice had to come from the society itself, not an outsider. Thus it would be considered a true sacrifice, in that something truly precious was given up. However, as Lord Summerville reveals the town's origins, we see that this is not an 'authentic' pagan society anyway.

The Wicker Man is a hands down classic, defying expectations, leaving viewers scorched by its imagery.